


Howling Abomination

by Night_the_Dragon



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Smut, Light Angst, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Smut, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 17:05:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15689694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night_the_Dragon/pseuds/Night_the_Dragon
Summary: After a dangerous encounter with a black wolf, Cloud starts to feel strange changes come over himself, all while dealing with the hyperactive Zack trying to befriend him and become possibly closer than that, it seems. Cloud's thoughts on that? "Not interested..."





	Howling Abomination

A lone blonde man with spiked locks was trekking along the path through the forest, making his way to Midgar. He was on his way there to visit and possibly stay with his old friend, Tifa Lockhart, and to take a break from hunting beasts for a while. He’d been working long enough that he’d amounted a pretty decent amount of gil to last him a good break, and possibly even a splurge or two on something. He was uncertain as to what exactly, but it might come to him with time.

As he walked along the moonlit path, he soon began to feel a presence following him, one that certainly wasn’t human. Rolling his eyes in slight annoyance, the man feigned ignorance, but kept his guard up. After all, he couldn’t tell for certain what the presence was. More than likely a hungry beast looking for easy prey, though. Which he definitely wasn’t. The man continued his same pace and stride, and to anyone watching, it was as though he clearly couldn’t detect the large black shadow following him from the forest’s depths.

Suddenly, the shadow lunged silently, not making a sound as it went to strike. However, the blonde man swiftly reached back for his large sword, strapped to his back for security, and spun around, lashing out at the shadow, but then it was gone without a trace. Frowning darkly with a little huff, the hunter kept his blue gaze on the path leading away from Midgar for only a few seconds, but those few seconds was all the shadow needed, as out of nowhere, the blonde was pounced on by a large, furry beast, right before he felt excruciating pain on his left, at the junction where his neck met his collarbone.

The man gave a pained shout, knowing he’d been bitten, and pretty hard at that, and then the beast licked at the wound, but kept him pinned where he was. As the blonde gasped for breath from the pain, he soon realized the pain was fading, thanks to the beast’s licking at the wound it had inflicted. He then gave a snarl, before managing to throw the beast off and look at it properly.

A large black wolf got to its paws, shaking the dirt from its pelt from being thrown, before looking at him, almost seeming to smirk at him with a knowing look…and then it dashed off into the forest’s depths with a victorious-sounding howl.

The blonde hunter frowned at the beast’s curious behavior, before he sighed and grabbed his buster sword, situating it back in place on his back before he continued on his way to Midgar.

‘ _Cloud Strife, what have you gotten yourself into this time…?_ ’ he thought to himself as he shook his head slightly. ‘ _Hopefully it doesn’t get infected…_ ’ was the next thought, his hand instinctually moving to place itself on the bite mark. He nearly winced, but found it wasn’t as tender as he’d initially thought. ‘ _Whatever… Damn beast…_ ’

 

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

Finally, Cloud arrived in Midgar by dawn, but he didn’t linger anywhere in particular, instead heading to his destination: Seventh Heaven Bar, where Tifa was. When he arrived, he opened the door, loudly rapping his knuckles on the doorframe when he saw she wasn’t paying attention, instead focused on restocking the bar. The effect was immediate; Tifa jumped with a yelp, before whirling around in alarm and looking to see Cloud standing there. When it registered who was in the doorway, she smiled brightly before hurrying over to him and hugging him in a friendly manner.

“Cloud!” she greeted. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in ages, it feels like!”

“Been pretty good,” the blonde shrugged, hugging her back lightly. “I’m taking a break from hunting for a while, and figured I could stay in Midgar with a good friend…if you have the space, anyway…”

“I always have space for you, Cloud,” Tifa giggled, stepping back, and then she saw his bloodied shirt and the wound on his collarbone. “What happened?!”

“…Got attacked by a damn wolf on the way here,” Cloud admitted. “It healed the wound by licking it before taking off, though…”

“Weird…” the brunette muttered. “Well, make sure to keep an eye on it, just in case, okay? Don’t want something to happen to you.”

“Will do,” the hunter nodded. “Mind if I change out of this shirt, at least? The dried blood’s kinda scratching…”

“Oh, of course! The guest room is upstairs and the last door on the right,” Tifa informed him, stepping aside. “I’ll get you something to drink, and then we’ll catch up.”

“Sounds good,” Cloud agreed, before heading upstairs to the guest room Tifa had told him of. Once inside, he set his travel bag and Buster Sword off to the side before peeling off his torn-up shirt and throwing it into the trash. No mending that one…

He then headed to the bathroom in the bedroom once he’d dug out another shirt, this one still clean. Once in the bathroom, he managed to find a washcloth, lathering it up with soap and water and washing the dried blood from around the bite wound. After rinsing it off and drying it, the blonde pulled on the clean shirt, and then headed downstairs. Upon reaching the ground floor, though, he was surprised when an unfamiliar voice greeted him.

“Hey, a new face, eh?” the voice called, a grin obvious in the tone. Cloud looked over with a quirked brow already, and saw a raven-haired man with spiked locks sitting in one of the booths, his blue eyes watching the blonde as a grin kept itself firmly in place on his face.

“……”

“What, not the talkative type, aren’t ya?” the raven chuckled.

“Zack, leave him alone. Cloud’s just gotten here,” Tifa scolded, coming back out from the back room.

“Oooh, so his name’s Cloud, huh?” Zack smirked almost wolfishly, before getting up from his booth and going up to Cloud, holding out a hand for the blonde to shake. “Nice to meet you, Cloud. Name’s Zack, as you’ve gathered.”

Cloud eyed Zack’s hand for a couple seconds, before rolling his eyes and accepting the offered hand, shaking it firmly.

“Mind letting us catch up, Zack? I haven’t seen Cloud in a few years,” Tifa said, making the raven pout.

“But I’d like to get to know him, Tifa!” he whined. “C’mon, lemme stay!” As he spoke, he gave her his best puppy-dog eyes.

“…Ugh, fine, but you’re ridiculous. You act like a puppy, Zack,” the brunette sighed. “Just don’t interrupt.”

“I’ll be quiet!” Zack grinned, before going back to the booth he’d been in and sat down.

“How’s that bite wound, by the way?” Tifa asked in concern as she led Cloud to another booth, which Cloud noticed had Zack perking up in interest.

“It’s fine, Tifa, don’t worry,” Cloud assured her. “Just had to throw out the shirt I was wearing, since I’m not gonna try and mend it.”

“Well, I’ll have to take you to the tailor’s sometime soon, then, and get you another shirt,” Tifa shrugged, laughing at the hunter’s stunned look. “Don’t sweat it, Cloud!”

“If you’re sure…”

“I am. So, go ahead, tell me about some of your hunts! I’m sure some are worth sharing,” the woman smiled as she and Cloud sat down, and she handed him a drink.

“Some, but not too many. It’s usually the behemoths that make for an interesting story, to be honest…” the blonde shrugged.

“Then share away,” Tifa giggled, making Cloud smile faintly, and then he began to share. As he spoke, he could feel Zack’s gaze on him, highly interested, but he ignored the raven in favor of talking with Tifa. When he finished sharing some of his behemoth stories, he looked at Tifa.

“So, how about you? It’s been a while since I visited. What’s been going on with you?” he asked.

“Eh, not much. Same old, same old,” she shrugged. “It’s been business as usual, even with Zack goofing around here.”

“Hey!” the raven squawked, indignant. “I’m not goofing off, I’m having fun!”

“By goofing off.”

“…You’re mean.”

“And yet you still come around here.”

“Because the atmosphere is always inviting! Who _wouldn’t_ want to come here?” Zack pointed out, before grinning. “‘Sides, I got to meet Cloud today because I stopped by!” Cloud snorted incredulously at the comment, making Zack grin at him. “C’mon, man! Lighten up!”

“Cloud’s a serious guy, Zack. Try not to piss him off,” Tifa warned, before getting up from the booth. “Well, I’d best get back to stocking up for tonight. You two play nice, you hear?”

“No trouble here!” Zack chuckled, while Cloud merely nodded with a small hum, rolling his eyes slightly.

“No eye-rolling here, buster,” Tifa scolded, cuffing the blonde over the head and making him grunt. “I’ll be around if you need me.” Once she was gone, Zack took over Tifa’s spot, smiling at Cloud.

“So…what happened?” he asked.

“Hm?”

“That bite wound Tifa mentioned. What happened?”

“…Got bit by a damn wolf…”

“Huh. How long ago did it happen?”

“…Last night, on my way here.”

Zack hummed softly at that. “Well, at least you’re okay.”

“I just hope that beast’s licking doesn’t get this thing infected…”

“I highly doubt that,” the raven replied. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“…If you say so…” Cloud mumbled, quirking a blonde brow at Zack’s confidence in regards to his bite mark.

“I do say so. So, you been to Midgar before, then, huh?” Zack guessed.

“No, actually. I know Tifa from Nibelheim,” Cloud shrugged.

“Then I get the honor of showing you around,” the taller male smirked, puffing his chest a little.

“…Not interested,” the hunter snorted, looking away.

“Aww, come on, live a little!” Zack grinned. “After all, we wouldn’t want you getting lost, right?”

“‘We’…?”

“Tifa and me.”

“Guess not…”

“Then it’s settled,” the taller man declared, before climbing out of the booth. “Come on, I’ll show ya around town!” He then grabbed Cloud’s arm and tugged him out of the booth, drawing a startled noise from the blonde as he was dragged out of his seat and the bar. “We’ll be back, Tifa! Gonna show Spike here around town!”

“Just don’t go starting trouble, Zack!” Tifa yelled as they left. Zack blew a raspberry in her general direction as the door closed, before laughing.

“She’s such a mom,” he chuckled, leading Cloud along the paved road.

“…She’s still single, isn’t she?” the hunter guessed with a snort.

“Yeah, why?”

“I figured. Her work at the bar is her life, I can tell. She was always more of a busybody than a family woman,” Cloud shrugged. “We’ve been friends since we were kids in Nibelheim.”

“Makes sense why she turns down every date she’s been offered,” the raven commented, folding his hands behind his head. “Anyhoo, I’ll take ya by Aerith’s place first. She’ll be happy to meet a new face.”

“And Aerith is…?”

“An herbalist. She makes herbal remedies and medicines for people here in town. She’s also super nice.”

“Seems like it. I’d be pretty surprised by a malicious healer.”

“Yeah, kind of an oxymoron, huh?” Zack agreed with a laugh. They soon reached a shop that bore a blue rose on the sign, drawing a quiet, curious hum from Cloud, but he shook his head when Zack looked back at him in silent question. Shrugging, the taller male opened the door, making a bell above the door jingle to signal their arrival. A brunette woman looked up curiously at the sound, before she smiled warmly, her emerald green eyes kind and gentle.

“Well hello, Zack,” she greeted, before she took notice of Cloud standing behind him. “And who’s your friend…?”

“Oh, this is Cloud. He’s a friend of Tifa’s, and I’m showing him around town,” the raven explained, before looking back at Cloud. “Cloud, this is Aerith, Midgar’s best herbalist and healer.”

“Now, now, Zack, I’m good, but I’m certain I’m not the best,” Aerith chided with a small smile, and then she turned her gaze to Cloud. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cloud. If you ever need any healing or potions, let me know.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Cloud told her politely, before she laughed.

“No need to be so formal, Cloud. Just call me Aerith,” she giggled. Cloud nodded in acknowledgement, smiling faintly.

“So, anything interesting this time while out hunting herbs, Aerith?” Zack asked.

“No, but I _did_ see some tracks leading from the mountains in a path to Midgar…” Aerith admitted. “And they were behemoth tracks.”

“Same one, huh? Sounds like your kind of deal, huh Cloud?” the raven guessed, looking at the hunter.

“Huh?” the brunette frowned in concern.

“I’m a hunter, and I’ve dealt with behemoths before,” Cloud answered, shrugging one shoulder. “I was sharing some of my behemoth hunting stories with Tifa earlier with Zack here listening in.”

“You make it sound like I was sneaking around!” Zack pouted.

“True, you weren’t,” Cloud snorted with a faint smirk. “Where did you see the tracks, Aerith?”

“Near the entrance into town, on the way to the mountains,” the brunette replied, before she dug through a drawer. “Before you go, take these.” She then gave him a couple of potions. “I’d rather you not get hurt at all, but behemoths are dangerous.”

“I’ll be fine, but thank you,” the blonde murmured, accepting the potions. “How much are—”

“They’re no charge this time. You’ll be doing Midgar a favor, so just take them,” Aerith assured him with a kind smile. “Just be careful, or I’ll be seeing you again far too soon.”

“I will,” Cloud nodded, before beginning to leave. Zack yelped a little but was quick to follow, waving to Aerith as they left. “Just need to get my sword from Tifa’s,” the hunter mumbled as they made their way back to Seventh Heaven.

“You want some help there with killing it, Spike?” Zack asked.

“Nah. I’m more than capable of killing a behemoth,” Cloud snorted.

“I dunno, man… This one’s been pretty evasive. If it’s the same one I’m thinking of, it’s killed other hunters before in their attempts to kill _it_.”

“…Only if you insist…”

“I do. My place is on the outskirts of town, so I’ll go get my sword and meet you outside the entrance.”

“Whatever…”

With that, Zack nodded, before he took off in another direction, more than likely to get his own sword. With a soft snort, Cloud resumed his way back to Seventh Heaven, where Tifa look up upon his return.

“You’re back early,” she commented, clearly confused. “Everything okay?”

“Gonna take care of your behemoth problem,” the blonde replied.

“…! Cloud… You don’t need to,” the brunette frowned. “That thing is really nasty.”

“Zack said the same thing, but I’ll be fine.”

“Okay… Just…please be careful, okay?”

“Will do,” the hunter nodded, heading upstairs and retrieving his Buster Sword. Once it was strapped in place on his back and he was downstairs again, he nodded to Tifa reassuringly. “I’ll be back,” he called over his shoulder as he left. He didn’t hear if Tifa replied before the door closed, but he knew this wouldn’t take too long.

When he reached the entrance to Midgar, he spotted Zack waiting for him, and the raven had his own Buster Sword strapped to his back. This caused Cloud’s eyes to widen marginally, as he hadn’t known anyone else to wield one. Until now.

“Nice, a Buster Sword, too, eh? Well, we’d best get moving, or else we’ll lose it in the mountains,” the raven said casually. The hunter hummed quietly in response, before following after Zack, letting the taller male take the lead. After all, he didn’t know where Aerith hunted for herbs, and Zack did, so…it made sense to let him take the lead. For now.

When they came across the tracks near the herb garden, Cloud frowned darkly, seeing how deep the claw marks in the tracks were. This wasn’t an ordinary behemoth, based upon that alone. This thing was big, powerful, and vicious, even more so than the ordinary behemoth standards.

Noticing the frown, Zack nodded. “That’s why I came with,” he said. Cloud nodded quietly, before taking the lead and following the tracks. This thing was a danger to Midgar’s people, and he needed to make sure they stayed safe, which definitely meant killing this crazed behemoth.

It took the pair a couple of hours before they found anything more, and that was the behemoth itself. And they didn’t even find it; _it_ found _them_. A large roar from too close by sounded, and Cloud whipped out his Buster Sword, whirling around to face the behemoth dead on as it charged at them in the large clearing they were in.

“Shit, the thing’s huge…!” Zack growled, his own Buster Sword out as the raven took on an offensive stance. Cloud really couldn’t argue with him there; it was the biggest behemoth he’d seen yet during his time as a hunter. Instead of replying, though, he waited until the behemoth charged again, lunging at them with a furious snarl. As soon as it did, he raced at it, slashing his sword into its thick hide along its underside, barely managing to get out of harm’s way as the behemoth roared in fury and pain, slashing at him with its razor-sharp claws.

“Look out!” Zack shouted suddenly, before he dove forward and blocked the behemoth’s tail from slamming into the blonde, and then knocking it back with a snarl. His eyes flashed briefly with something Cloud couldn’t decipher, before the pair began to attack the behemoth together. With their combined strength and attacks, the monstrous behemoth didn’t stand a chance, and soon enough, it collapsed to the ground, dead from the multitude of slashes that had basically torn it apart.

Cloud wiped his forehead of the forming sweat on his skin, before looking at Zack. The raven was glaring at the dead behemoth, looking pretty pissed off. He soon closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths as if to calm himself, before looking at Cloud with a grin.

“Not bad, Cloud! You’re better than I thought you were!” he teased. The remark had Cloud rolling his eyes with a snort. “Come on, I was only teasing!”

“……”

At the lack of reply, Zack pouted. “You’re no fun.”

“Your point being…?”

“A little fun in life is good,” the raven pointed out.

“…Not interested…” the blonde mumbled.

“…You seemed to be having fun while fighting the behemoth,” Zack smirked after a moment, making Cloud grumble with a faint pink tint to his cheeks.

“What’s not to like about killing the bastards?” he muttered. “They’re dangerous to everyone… So they need to be taken out.”

“Fair enough,” the raven conceded, and then he put his sword back in place on his back. “Welp, let’s go report back to Aerith.”

“Right,” Cloud nodded softly, putting his own sword in place on his back, and then the pair headed back to Midgar. By the time they returned, the sun had set beyond the horizon, making Zack look up at the sky with a small frown.

“Hey, Cloud, go on ahead without me. I need to head home, but I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” he said suddenly, making the hunter look back at him with a quirked brow and small frown.

“…Sure. I’m staying at Seventh Heaven while here, after all,” the blonde shrugged. With a pleased grin, Zack gave Cloud a two-fingered salute, before heading off again. ‘ _Weird…_ ’ Cloud thought to himself as he watched for a moment, and then he resumed his trek to Aerith’s shop.

Upon arrival, the brunette looked up quickly, before her expression changed to one of immense relief. “Cloud, you’re okay!” she breathed.

“It wasn’t too bad…” Cloud mumbled, rubbing the back of his head a little awkwardly and ruffling his spiked locks in the process.

“Still, we all know behemoths are dangerous in general, and that one was the worst I’d ever seen,” Aerith insisted. “I take it Zack assisted?”

“He was persistent in helping me, but I’ll be honest, it would have been a bit more challenging and taken longer without his help,” the blonde confessed.

“He’s a good man. As are you,” the herbalist smiled, drawing a slight blush to the hunter’s face, and making Aerith giggle. “Well, you’d best head back to Tifa’s, or she’ll be worrying about you all night.”

“Of course…” Cloud nodded, internally cringing at the thought of getting chewed out by Tifa for his tardiness. Yeah, he’d better hurry back. “I’ll see you soon, then.”

“You certainly will,” Aerith agreed, and then Cloud left her shop, heading back to Seventh Heaven. When he got back, Tifa quickly straightened up from behind the bar, her rust-colored eyes wide. When her mind registered who had just walked in, she sighed in relief, before looking at the blonde sternly.

“You had me worried, Cloud!” she snapped as she stomped over, making the hunter flinch briefly. “I almost thought you were dead, or at _least_ badly injured!”

“Tifa—” he started to say, but she cut him off swiftly.

“Just be glad you’re not hurt, or you’d have to deal with me,” she huffed, folding her arms over her chest. After a tense minute of this, she lowered her arms. “Please don’t go hunting again while you’re here, okay? Zack was there this time, but he might not be able to help next time, if there even _is_ a next time.”

“…I can’t promise anything, Tifa, but I’ll try to refrain…” Cloud told her honestly.

“I guess that’s the most I can get right now…” she sighed. “Well, go get your ass cleaned up and to bed. Zack typically comes by around nine in the morning to visit, but I have a feeling he might be here earlier now that he knows you.”

“…Why?”

“He seems to like a lot you already,” she shrugged casually. “And despite his hyperactivity and puppy-like behavior, he’s a good guy at heart.”

“If you say so…”

“I do. Now go on, get going!” she laughed, pushing him towards the stairs. Cloud rolled his eyes when his back was to her, but he was smiling slightly at her antics all the same. He did as she had instructed, taking a quick shower before drying off and climbing into the guest bed with some boxers and a t-shirt on. As he started to fall asleep, however, he absently rubbed at the bite mark, but fell asleep shortly after.

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't resist putting his typical line in the summary! XD


End file.
